Photographic-printing cabinet.



O. C. OOURTRIGHT & A. D. MIKA.

PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.13,1908.

3 www'n to m Patented July 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O. C. COURTRIGHT & A. D. MIKA. PHQTOGRAPHIC PRINTING CABINET.APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13. 1908.

929,195. v Patented July .27, 1909. v 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

muuegfow UNITED sTArES PATENT orno o. counrn enr AND ALBERT n. MIKA, orroar MADISON, Iowa.

PHOTOGRAPHIC'PBINTING CABINETQ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1909.

Application filed August 13, 1908. Serial No. 448,423.

To all whom 'it may concemj Be it known that we, OTI-IO ,C. COURT- RIGHTand IALBERT D. MIKA, citizens ofthe United States, residing at FortMadison, in the county of Lee, State of Iowa, have invented a j-new anduseful Photographic- Printing Cabinet, ofwhichthe following is aspecification. I

This inventionf'has reference to photographic printing fram'esorcabinets and is designed particularly to facilitate the handling ofsensitive papers, and to provide means for the ready centering of thenegative with relation to the sensitive paper without the liability ofthe latter becoming light struck. i Furthermore, the inventionprovidesmeans for the ready making of a number of prints upon a web of sensitivepaper, and also for the use of vignetting means.

Furthermore, the present invention provines means whereby the closing ofthe back of/the printing frame will cause the 'expos'ure of the paper tothe light for impressing the image thereon.

The present invention is an improvement over thatdisclosed in ou-rLetters Patent No. 815,267, granted-March 13, 1-906 fora photo graphicprinting cabinet.

In'accordance with the present invention there is provided a cabinethaving light ex.- cluding doors. or shutters on the li'ght receivingsideof the cabinet and on'the other side means for holding aphotographic nega-.

tive and for adjusting the same to different desired positions. I

The invention also rovides a numberof receptacles for vignetting frames.so that thl vignetting device may be placed at different distances fromthe negative and the light thereby be modified in accordance with thedesire of the'operator.

By the present invention provision is made for off-setting the back ofthe printing frame so as to adjust the same for differences in] thethickness of negatives, and where masks or other devices are used inborder printing, number of glass. plates may be employed to support thenegative and mask. This also provides for the, use of film negatives andany thickness of glass desired'to support the films during the printingoperation. With the present invention provision is made for supportingthe negative at any, height, so

as to adjust the negative to the paper to be printed. V

' The present invention also includes means shutters so that the actiniclight is admitted to the interior of the printing frame by the closingdown of the back of the device thus facilitating the printing of thepaper and without distracting the attention of the operator as would bethe case wereit necessary to open the doors or shutters by anindependent operation.

inents over and above the structure of the aforesaid Letters Patent, andthese improvements will appear from the following detail descriptiontaken inconnection with the this specification, in which drawings,

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved photo printing cabinetfrom the rear or negative receiving side. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l, the supportingpartsof the cabinet being broken away. Fig. 3 is 'an end 'view of theprinting cabinet with the paper holding doors or back of the printingframe, off-set slightly from normal position. Fig.

frame remolved' from the body thereof.

I Referring to the drawings there is shown a, frame or casing 1constituting the main body and support-of the printing frame; Built intothe casing 1 is a'chamber 2 hav- 4 and 5 respectively. The side walls 3,and bottom walls 5 of the chamber'2, are formed with a number ofparallel groves 6, while through the top 4 of the chamber are a numberof slots 7 matching the grooves 6. The slots 7 permit the introductioninto the chamber 2 of suitable vignetting frames which slide in thegrooves '6 in the side walls 3 and ultimately become seated in theroov'es 6 in the bottom 5. On the outer ace of'the top 4 of the chamber2,-and at each end of the slots 7 are spring fingers 8 said slots. Thesespring fingers or plates 8 provide a means for holding the vignettingframes in different adjusted positions when it is not desired that theyshould be lowered soas to enter the grooves 6 in the bottom 5.

for operating the light excluding doors on The invention also includesother improveing ,side walls 3, and top and bottom-Walls accompanyingdrawings forming a part of I Y 4 is-an end view of the back of the.printing provided-with notches 9 matching the slots .7 and equal innumber to the number of i The back of the chamber 2 is open and isflanked on-each side by side extensions IO of the main casing 1, whilethe bottom 5 of the chamber 2 may be continued in'the same direction toform a ledge 11. The ledge 11 provides a support for negatives designedto cover the back of the chamber 2, either wholly or in part. At theouter ends ofeach side extension is another, riblike extension 12 in thesame plane as the face of the corresponding side extension 10.

Extending across the open rear end of the chamber 2 is a bar 13 havingeach end turned at right angles as indicated at 14-, and then againturned at right angles to the parts 14 as indicated at 15, the saidextensions 15 lying parallel with the main bar 13. The bar 13 is of suchlength that the extensions l4 hug the ribs 12 quite closely while theextensions 15 of the bar lie behind the ribs 12. The extensions 15 eachcarry a pin 16 provided with a manipulating head 17. and extendingthrough the part or car 15- into engagement with the rear edge of thecorresponding rib 12. A-spring 18 surrounding the pin 16 serves to urgeit constantly against the rear side of the corresponding rib 12. Eachrib 12 may be provided with notches 19 or otherwise shaped to hold thepin 16 when urged toward it by the spring 18. By this means the bar 13may be held in any position of adjustment with relation to the chamber2.

Beneath one of the side extensions 10 there is secured an adjustablebracket 20, in the nature of a slide. This slide is provided with anelongated slot 21 secured to the casing 1 by means. of a thumb nut 23,the stem of which extends through the slot 21. The outer end of theslide is provided with a ledge 24 of a height corresponding to theheight of the ledge 20 and to" this ledge is hinged a strip 25 extendingupward to a point even with the top of thetop member 4 of the chamber-2.Fast to the upper end of the strip 25 either fixed thereto. againstmovement or hinged thereto as desired is a slotted plate 26, and throughthis slot there extends a threaded stem 27 to which is applied a thumbnut 28, By means of the two thumb nuts 23 and 28 the strip 25' may bebrought into close relation to .the.

corresponding side extension 10 or may be moved away therefrom to anydesiredextent and be locked by the said thumbnu ts 23 and 28.

The strip 25 has hinged thereto one edge of a double hinge back for thechamber 2-. This back consists of a hinge member 29 connected directlytothe strip 25, and another hinge member 30 connected to thehinge mem ber29 thus providing a double hinge back such as is commonly used inconnection with photographic printing frames. The double hinge dent withthe slide 20 so that the ledge 24' of -48 on the end of the section 30of the back back 2930 is designed to press suit- I able photographicpaper in close contact with a negative covering the rear open end of thechamber 2. If the negative be large enough to cover the entire openingof the chamber 2 thenthe strip 13 is omitted, but if the negative besmaller then the strip 13 is used and supports one edge of the negative.The ledgelll is cut away at a point eoincithe slide 20 may be broughtinto line with the ledge 11 and constitute substantially a continuationthereof, while the lower edge of the double hinge back 29-30 willoverride the ledge 11 so that the said double back may be brought intoclose relation with the paper over-lying the negative.

The front of the chamber 2 is closed by doors or shutters 31 as in theaforesaid Let-- ters Patent, and these doors may be provided withwindows 32 of ruby glass so that sutlicient non-actinic light may enterthe cham ber 2 to enable the operator to place the negative and thepaper in proper position without exposing the paper to actinic light.The-doors are mounted upon rods 33, and 34 respectively, and these rodsact as hinge supportsgfor the doors which may be made to come togetherat' a median meeting line and open away from each other on turning onthe hinge rods 33 and 34. The hinge rod 33 is provided with a crankextension on the upper end, and the hinge rod 34 is provided with acrank extension 36 at its upper end, and thcs'etwo crank extensions areconnected by a'link 37 so that the hinge rods 33 and 34 and the doorscar 'ied thereby will move in opposite direction at the same time. A.spring 38 is connected to the link 37 at' the end connected to the crank35, and this spring 38 is under the control of an adjusting screw 39 sothat its-tension may be'regulated. The crank 36 is connected by a link40 to one end of a lever 41. the other end which may be in hingedconnection to one side of-the casing 1. At an intermediate point thelever 41 is connected by a link to another link 43 and the remoter endof the link 43 is connected to a fixed point 44 on the casing 1. The twolinks 42 and 43 at their junction pivot areconnected to a rod 115 45,which rod extends to the rear side of the chamber 2, through a guidingeye 46 and terminates in an end 47 and this end 47 of the rod is in thepath of a projecting'plate of the printing frame. The construction issuch that the spring 38 normally maintains the doors at the front of thechamber 21in)" the closed position so that no act-inic light can enterthe chamber 2 from that side? l/Vhen however, the rod 45 is moved byenga ement with the end 47 thereof the two linis 42 and 43 whichconstitute a toggle connection, are moved to the extended position, and,this causes a movement ot'the lever 41, which by the link 40 causes therod 3% to turn on its axis and at the same time turn the rod 33 on itsaxis in the opposite direction through the connecting link 37, andagainst the action of the spring 38. The

.liiOVQXilElit is sufficient to quickly open the doors controlling thefront end of the chamher 2 to their widest extent. \Vheii the rod '45 isreleased the spring will quickly return the doors to their closedposition thus cutting ofi' actinic light from the chamber 2.

The device is designed to be used in a room where there is a vwindow orother means for the entrance of sunlight either direct or reflected, andwhere the device may .be brought to the window and all other actiniclight excluded from the room except that which may enter the chamber 2when the doors at the front thereof are pened.- Of course, wheredaylight is not to be used.

safely a few' feet from mild artificial light.

In the. use of the apparatus if it be desirable to produce vignettedeffects upon the finished picture, then a suitable vignetting frame isintroduced through a suitable one of the slots 7' so as to traversethechamber 2 to thedesired point. The negative is then placed upon therear end of'thechamber 2 and if large enough will cover the same. If-

the negative be too small to cover the open end of the chamber '2 then.the negative is placed upon the bar 13 and the latter is adj usted tothe pro er point to bring the negative to the desired relation to thepaper upon uhich the picture is to be produced. Thepaper if in smallsheets is now placed upon the rear face of the negative, which in mostinstances is the film side of the negative and the hinged back isbrought into close relation;

to the paper on the negative to hold it' in proper close contact withthe negative. As the hinged back is moved into place the member 48 isbrought into engagement with the end 4-7 of the rod and the doors con--trolled by the rod 45 are caused to open quickly and permit the light toenter the chamber 2 and act on the paper after having passed through thenegative. The doors are made to open widely and quickly so that thelight strikes upon the paper substantially throughout its area at once,the same as provided for in the aforesaid Letters Patent. When theoperator judges that the paper has been exposed long enough, then amovement of the hinged back 29-30 of the printing fi'aiiie, away fromthe chamber 2 will imii'icdiately release the rod 45 and under theaction of the spring 88 the doors at the front of the chamber will snaptogether, thus cutting off the actinic light. The paper may now bereplaced and the operation repeated as described, or a new negative maybead justed and prints. taken therefrom.

'It often happens that negatives are on glass of different thicknessesand to ttQCOIlL inodate these different thicknesses of negatives thestrip 25 may be ad usted to and I from the corresponding face 'of theextension opposite which the strip is located, so that the hinged back29-3O will at all times engage smoothly against the paper on thenegative. -Again,- it may be desirable to print with masks and these maybe held against the'negative by suitable glass plates, in which case thethickness of the negative and plate will be much greater'than that ofthe negative alone, and .to accommodate this greater thickness the strip25 must be ad justed slightly away from the corresponding extension 10.When vignetting masks are used, then the vignetting frames or car- Iriers are introduced through the slots 7 as before described, but thedegree .of' sharpv ness or diffusion caused by the vignetting means isregulated 'by placing the vignetting frame in any one of.the slots-Zwhich may be desired, thediifusion' being greater the .fartheifthevignetter is placed from the negative. Furthermore, the pos'itionof thevignetting opening may be adjusted by the.

spring fingers 8 which will engage the edge of the vignetting frame withan elasticgrip; so as ,to hold it in any position'of adjustment withoutpreventing its movement either in or out of the cliainber2.

When it is not desired to use the negative supporting bar-13 then thelatter maybelifted until the pins 16 are free of thenpper edge of therib 12 and the bar may then be readily removed. I a In order to preventlight coming through the chamber 2. from reaching-the operators "eyesthe meeting edges'oft-he two members 29-and 80 of the folding back maybe beveled as indicated in Fig. 4c. The fingers 8 may be eitherelastically con-- nected to the top of the casingl or may be hingedthereto, andtheir grip on the vig netting frames will then depend uponthe Weight of the latter to hold the said frames in place. I When it isdesired to print a series of pie tures upon a single strip of paper asfor in .stance upon a web of paper 'of considerable length, then theentire hinged back ofthe frame is removed and the paper placed inposition after which the hinged back may be returned and the printingproceed as before.

What is claimed is:

" ative,the said printing frame also including actuating means for thelight excluding closure in the path of the paper clamping back andoperating to open the said closure back to operative position.

on the movement of the said paper clamping 2. A printing frame havinganegative support adjustable across the negative re-. ceiving side orface of said frame, said support comprising a bar extending across thenegative receiving opening and provided with end extensions embracingthe end of the printing frame on each side of the negative. receivingopening and elastic catches' carried by said bar for holding the latterin adjusted positions.

A printing frame provided with a. fold ing back, a support thereforadjustable to and froni the negative receiving face of said frame andmeans for maintaining parallelism between the support and the negativereceiving face of the frame in different positions of,adjustmeut of saidsupport.

4. Aprinting frame having a back adjustable/t0 and from the negativereceiving face of said frame, and means for lockin said back in theadjusted positions in parallel relation with the printing frame.

""5. -A printing frame lravingv a folding back, a support for said backto which the latter is hinged, a slide to which said support is secured,said slide being movable toward and from the negative holding face ofthe printing frame, and means for maintaining parallelism of the supportto the negative receiving face of the printing frame in differentpositions of the slide.

6. A printing frame provided with a folding back, a support to whichthis back is hinged, a slide to which the support is hinged to move atright angles to the folding movement of the back and by which slide thesupport is upheld, said slide being movable toward and from the negativereceiving face of the printing frame, and means for locking the backsupport in any position of adjustment to and from the negative receivingface of the printing frame in parallelism therewith. x

7. A printing frame having grooves for, receiving vignettin frames andlocated at different, distances from the negative ,receivgi,Q.,.j.ngside of the flame and means independent spring.

.light excluding closures, means for operating said closures, consistingof connected crank arms, a spring for holding said crank arms in apredetermined position, a lever connected to one of the crank arms, atoggle connected to said lever, and a rod connected to said toggle andadapted to be moved lon gitudinally to.act through the toggle and leveron the crank arms in opposition to the 10. A printing frame providedwith a movable back, light excluding closures on the face remote fromthe hack, crank anus connected to the light excluding closures, a springacting on the crank arms to maintain the light exclu'ding closures inthe closed position, a lever connected to the said cranks, a toggleconnected to the lever, and a bar connected to the toggle and having itsother end in the path of the movable back of ,the printing frame toactuate the crank arms on the closure of the back of the frame againstthe action of the spring. I

11. A printing frame having on its negative receiving face a slidecapable'of moving into and out of the frame toward and from the ne ativereceiving face, means for holding sai slide in adjusted positions, asupporting strip hinged to said slide at one end, means, for holding theother end of said supporting strip to the corresponding face of theprinting frame in adjusted positions and capable of being independentlydisconnected from said printing frame, and a'folding back hinged to saidsupport to move in a direction at right angles to the direction ofmovement of said support on its hinges.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoaflixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

' OTHO C. COURTRIGHT.

' ALBERT MIKA. Witnesses J. 'J.'DATIN, F. S. HAMILTON.

